Madder and Madder – our new MAD Drum kit series is underway.

The new MAD is getting closer and closer towards release.

We are getting closer and closer with our major upgrade to our popular Drum kit, MAD!
The new release – MAD Drum Kit Series will feature 3 core kits with a complete overhaul of the original GUI, new features, more grooves and a sound palette that focuses on hi-energy and aggressive Rock, Funk and Indie.

The KITS

Each kit was recorded in a completely different space and style, and combined – we covered a lot of ground.
Our Legacy Remo kit (MAD-Red) was recorded in a relaxed and resonant space that complemented the edgy sound of the kit. The new Yamaha kit (MAD-White) features a super tight sound with almost no reflections. We a combination of modern and vintage microphones for an uber funky and slightly overdriven sound. The new DW kit (MAD-Blue) was recorded in our regular Scoring room and includes extended microphone positions for a bigger-than-life Cinematic Drum sound!

Madder Sample Content

You get similar mapping for ease of use and lots of articulations. We focused on aggressive tones and ultra wide dynamic range, which (surprisingly) is still not the case with Drum libraries out there. The style of playing was very specific and you can hear it right away across all dynamic levels.

Right now each kit includes anywhere between 10,000 – 25,000 samples, so expect a detailed, life-like sound!

Getting the MAD sound

The signal chain was very particular with an eclectic mix of modern and vintage gear, custom cabling, and unique mic placement and combination. For instance, when we recorded the custom DW kit in the scoring room, we used our trusty AKG D-112 as Kick-In and a Royer R-122 for the Kick out! The low end detail was amazing!!

There are lots of tools to tailor your sound from intimate to MASSIVE! We included extended options for microphone bleed with total user control! Want to control the level of the Floor Tom through the Hi-Hat mic?
No problem…all the way up to unity gain 🙂

Here’s a quick test we sequenced, featuring the DW kit.
We created a basic mix to highlight the size and depth of the scoring room for a deep scoring sound. What you will hear is all the kit’s spot mics along with the Omni Overheads and Outrigger microphones, adding a ton of weight and character to the drums sound.

Sorry to monopolize this little comment area, but I MUST saY: terrifically easy download and install. Perfect. NI found them without me asking. Easy to move to “Quick load” for easy switching of kits.
Speaking of which…they are ALL just so IMMEDIATE in their impact…as was the original, but here…no external eq need, save whatever tube saturation is appropriate, and a wee bit of 1176…I’m old school.
I worked mainly with the Red kit..so funky, those cymbals are just incredible, the mark of excellent drum ware. Interestingly, with a bit extra compression, there is an almost “Abbey Road” vintage thing, yet with more bite. Awesome!

The Mixer is terrific, all there, organized beautifully with minimal fuss, and the grooves are wonderfully authentic, in the pocket, usable, with great alternates that don’t dive off the deep end, and fills preceded by a bar of time, to make it SO easy. Truthfully, even with output options in the NI GUI, I’d say at least half of what I’d do would require only the stereo buss, not individual tracks, as all parameters are easily adjustable in the MD Mixer..levels, eq, compression, room, bleed, etc.

IMO, MadDrums Rock/Funk would be a deal at twice the retail price. At $99 (for me less, as I had the original Mad Drums) its a no-brainer. Congratulations Eitan on a remarkable achievement.
Tomorrow I start dialing in the white and blue kits..in between songwriting. Man’s gotta at least ATTEMPT to make a buck.

Hi there,
Yes you can but if the e-Drum system you have has limitations with mapping MIDI notes to triggers then there will be some limitation.
We intend to add presets for popular e0drum system so no remapping will be needed.

In the case of the hi hat, there will be features that won’t be possible to trigger via e-drums because after all, they don’t offer too many options. The main features like modulations from close to open are going to be possible which is very powerful in itself.

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HandHeldSound is a developer of premium Sample Libraries and Virtual Instruments. Our award-winning products set a new standard for deep sampled Percussion sounds.
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